By calling up Sprint and insinuating he might cancel because they’re taking away his discount, one of our readers was able to get Sprint to credit his account for the same amount they’re taking away from him.

We’ve all been there — trapped in the labyrinth of a company’s automated operator, pressing numbers, saying and repeating the nature of your problem, hoping that someone, anyone, will eventually pick up. In an effort to help, the Houston Chronicle’s Frugal Confessions blog put together a helpful run-down of four things you can try.